Caleb gingerly rolled out of bed, praying he didn’t wake either of the people currently sleeping under the soft quilts. Holly was exhausted. And probably sore. Yet she hadn’t turned them away. Caleb had taken her twice followed each time by Alexei, as though neither of them could stand to not take their fair share out of her gorgeous hide.

She’d welcomed them. She’d held out her arms each time and welcomed them into her body. It had felt like coming home.

She loved him.

What the fuck had he done?

He glanced at the clock. It was almost two in the morning. He couldn’t stay in bed. He was too antsy, his eyes constantly going to the door. There was a thin line of light coming from under the door, taunting him. It had taken everything he’d had to lie there and wait for them to fall asleep. He’d simply watched the door, waiting for it to open and something terrible to crawl through. Something terrible always came through.

Wolf was right. He’d never really left that damn box.

He scrubbed a hand through his hair and wished he were a better man. He glanced back and Holly was lying there, the moonlight hitting her face. So fucking gorgeous. She turned as though she realized he wasn’t in bed any longer and sought the other source of warmth. Alexei’s arms came around her, and she sighed as she settled back down. They nestled together, obviously warm and happy.

They didn’t need him. He was free to go. He’d done exactly what he’d promised. He’d given her a night of passion. He’d given her a fantasy. So why did it feel like it had been his own fantasy that had come true? One he didn’t even realize he’d had. For those hours, he’d been happy. He’d been focused on her. He’d belonged.

As quietly as he could, he walked across the floor, closing the door behind him. He made a beeline for the bathroom. He turned on the light and washed up as best he could. He didn’t want to shower. He smelled like her. How long could he go before he ran patients off?

He looked up in the mirror and stared. When the hell had he stopped trying? The man who looked back at him seemed older, gaunter than he remembered himself being. He was sleepwalking through life, and he couldn’t quite make himself wake up.

He loved Holly. He couldn’t say it to her. He felt it in his soul, but she deserved more. And maybe he deserved far less.

He hadn’t thought about Caroline once after he’d started making love to Holly. All of the other women he’d fucked had somehow morphed into her. She was a ghost who constantly clung to him. He hadn’t loved her. He’d thought he had in the beginning, but they had become two completely separate people. She’d begged him not to go into the jungle. She’d told him he would die out there.

She’d been the one to die. How was he supposed to be happy after he’d caused so much misery?

It was better to leave. Alexei had offered him everything he could have hoped for. He could enjoy Holly in the only way he was capable of. He thought briefly about leaving town permanently, but he was honest enough with himself that he knew he wouldn’t. He would come back as often as they would let him. He would be their third because it was all he would allow himself. He would watch as they moved in together, built a life together, and he showed up for sex. It was pathetic, but he would do it because he couldn’t walk away. He needed this place. He needed her.

And he needed to leave.

He slipped out of the bathroom and started to look for his pants.

“You leave so soon?” Alexei’s voice startled him. Caleb nearly jumped out of his skin. Which was also all he was wearing.

“Damn it. You can’t do that to a person.” Now that there wasn’t a woman in the room, two dudes talking with their junk hanging out seemed weird to him. He skipped the underwear and went straight for the jeans, scooping them off the floor and stepping into them as quickly as he could.

“You sneak out, I sneak up. There is no difference.” Alexei didn’t seem bothered by the whole nude-dude thing.

Crap. He wasn’t expecting to deal with Alexei. Alexei was supposed to be perfectly happy to see his ass leave. Alexei should have stayed curled around Holly. “Go back to bed, man. I’m going to head home.”

“You have trouble sleeping?” Alexei’s eyes narrowed thoughtfully.

“I don’t sleep much, no.” He looked around for his shirt. The room was littered with hastily tossed off clothes. Holly’s dress had been thrown across the long sofa. Her shoes had made it to the tiny kitchen. There was a bra on the fireplace. He located Alexei’s slacks hanging over the TV and tossed them his way. “If we’re going to have a conversation, put on some pants, man.”

“Americans.” Alexei pulled his slacks on while shaking his head. “We will not mind if you toss and turn. Come back to bed, my friend. In morning, we make love to Holly all over again.”

They might mind when he woke up screaming and in a cold sweat. They certainly might mind when he punched and kicked, trying to get out of the cage he found himself in every night when he closed his eyes. He could hurt Holly. He hadn’t actually hurt anyone in a while, but it could always come back. He couldn’t risk it. “No.”

A long sigh came from Alexei’s mouth. “Yes, that would be answer. You say no a lot, Caleb. We must find things for you to say yes to.”

He made it sound so damn simple. “I’m not saying I won’t come back.”

“You simply will not to sleep with her. Or is it me?”

This was so awkward. “You seriously think I would fuck with you in the same room, but I won’t sleep in the same bed? No. It’s not that. I don’t like to sleep with anyone.”

There was a long pause, as though Alexei was trying to figure out how to deal with him. This was precisely why Caleb had stayed out of relationships. He didn’t want to be figured out.

“Is it because of what happen in Sierra Leone, Dr. Sommerville?”

The words stopped him in his tracks. It was as though Alexei had pulled the pin on a grenade, and now Caleb had to wait to see if it was going to go off and kill them all. “You know who I am.”

The Russian shrugged. “I had not much to do in witness protection. Your family is very celebrated. It was not difficult. There were many, many articles about the Sommervilles. One of US marshals I worked with thought she recognized you in the hospital. I have a cousin back in Russia who is excellent at investigating. He sends me much information. Why do you hide this? You are hero, Caleb.”

Some fucking hero. He’d led ten people to their deaths. His wife. Two nurses. Three local aid workers. Five patients who had come to his clinic seeking anyone who could help them and their children. They’d all been slaughtered because a group of criminals had seen a spectacularly heady payday.

“I don’t want to talk about it.” He never talked about it.

Alexei shook his head. “I do not be understanding. I know what happens in Africa was bad, but it was not your fault. You were victim.”

“I took those nurses there. I took my workers there. I brought the patients in.” He’d led them into hell.

“You take workers there to help people,” Alexei insisted. “You take them to bring medicine and healing to people with no hope. You help patients.”

Yes, he’d set up the clinic to help, but the situation had been far more complex. He’d also done it to get away from a marriage that wasn’t working. His charity work had become his world. He’d ignored everyone and everything because it was easier to focus on people who only needed him for his skill as a doctor. He should have known that Caroline would turn to another man. If he’d had half a heart, he would have freed her before he went into the jungle. If he’d done that, she wouldn’t have come after him in search of her divorce. “You don’t know anything about it, Markov.”

“Then explain to me. Maybe you should talk about it.”

He fucking thought about it all the time. He didn’t want to talk about it. Anger started to simmer inside him. Alexei thought he could walk back in and put him through some weird kind of therapy? Or was there something more sinister at work? Maybe Alexei wasn’t as friendly as he seemed. It wouldn’t be the first time someone had gotten close to him in order to feed off his family. “And I was beginning to think I was wrong about you. Tell me something, are you planning on telling Holly?”

Alexei leaned against the wall. “I don’t understand why you hide this. She would understand better if you tell her your story.”

“Yes, she would love it. I chose to go by my mother’s maiden name a long time ago. I don’t live in my brothers’ world. I don’t fit there. I never did. So, let’s skip all the small talk and get to the shakedown portion of the evening. How much?”

For the first time, Alexei didn’t look totally self-assured. “I don’t to understand.”

God, that whole “I don’t get English” thing was probably a scam, too. “How much to keep your mouth shut? How much to get you to leave? Money. That’s what we’re talking about. How much of the Sommerville pie do you intend to get your hands on? It’s a big fucking pie. I’m sure you think you’re entitled to a slice. I have to say, I appreciate your tactics better than the last fuckers who got some cash out of me. At least you didn’t kill my wife and shove me in a cage. The sex thing was a much better way to start your extortion play. Did they teach you that in the mob?”

Alexei stood up straight, his face opening. “What are you talking about? This has nothing to do with mob. This is one friend trying to watch after another friend.”

“Sure it is.” Why hadn’t he seen it? He’d let his lust for Holly blind him. Holly. Alexei had seemed to want her so badly. She was going to be hurt, too. Motherfucker. “Did you think about her for one second? Did you think that she would fall in love with you, or was that part of your plan, too?”

Alexei’s eyes went cold. “Do not bring her into this. And do not question my feelings for her. I know who you are. I am not one keeping secrets from her about myself. I have not told her about you. I will not tell her, but how will she feel when she realizes you did not trust her?”

He trusted Holly. At first he’d simply wanted some peace, and that had meant pretending he wasn’t a Sommerville. Wolf had promised him that this was a place where he wouldn’t have to worry about reporters and where almost no one would know or care who his family was. Stefan Talbot had known, but he’d promised to keep quiet. The town had needed a doctor. It had seemed like a place where he could do his work and be alone.

And then he’d met Holly. And the more he knew about Holly’s past, the deeper he realized he was in. Holly had gotten the shit kicked out of her by one political family. How the hell would she feel about the fact that he had a brother in the Senate, two cousins in Congress, and a father who had served as the Secretary of the Interior. The Sommervilles made the Langs look like tiny gnats. She would flip out at the prospect of dating a Sommerville.

And perhaps at one point in time she would have been right to do so, but Caleb was done with the whole scene. And his family wasn’t like the Langs, but the time that he could have made that plain to her was past. He couldn’t explain to her that his brother wouldn’t look down on her. His brother would simply be happy that he was dating someone, anyone. Dating would be normal, and Eli would probably dance a jig if he knew about it. As for his younger brother, Josh would probably fight him over Holly. Holly was exactly Josh’s type.

But she didn’t have to know anything about his family until fucking Alexei came along. “It doesn’t matter.”

“I agree. You are not your family. But I wonder. You do so many good things. Why do you hide them?”

“I don’t want to talk about this.”

Alexei held up a hand. “Then we will not.”

Caleb opened his mouth to tell the fucker that he wouldn’t pay him a dime, but Alexei stopped him.

“Don’t to talk anymore. You will only make me angry, and nothing will be helped. I am not going to blackmail you. I don’t want your money. Though I do not understand why, I want your friendship. I found out who you are exactly the way I say I did. Nothing more. Nothing less. I admire your work. I am grateful for your work. It saves my life. I would not to repay this with blackmail. I have done nothing that would make you believe me. I can only live and prove I am not the man you think I am.”

But Alexei had done something. More than something. He’d heroically saved Holly and then offered to share her.

Caleb wasn’t sure which Alexei was more dangerous—the criminal or the man who acted like a saint. He had two choices. He could believe Alexei or he could watch him with suspicion.

He might do a bit of both. “If I find out…”

Alexei held up a hand. His whole body seemed to go on full alert.

“What?” He’d barely gotten the word out when Alexei hushed him and reached down to pick up his shirt. He lifted it, and Caleb caught sight of a big, shiny object. “Holy shit. Is that a gun?”

“Shhh.” Alexei hefted the gun—yep, that was a big fucking gun—and clicked off the safety. His voice was low as he came close. “Someone is outside. I hear car, and now someone is moving.”

Caleb stopped and sure enough, he heard it, too. Someone was outside the cabin. He heard footsteps on the porch. They stopped and then began again, this time moving around to the side of the house. Still, he wasn’t sure about that gun. “Is that necessary?”

Alexei’s brow lifted. “Yes, it is necessary when many peoples wish to kill you. Stay here. I will take care of intruder.”

“No fucking way. I’m coming with you.” He might have to stitch someone up. “You need to be careful with that thing. It could be Mel looking for aliens. Or Laura checking in on Holly. We’re not alone out here, you know.”

But Alexei was moving along the floor toward the back door. Holly’s cabin was small, with the front and back doors in sight of each other. Alexei moved almost silently, a genuine feat for a man his size on old hardwood floors. The door squeaked quietly as Alexei slipped out.

Someone was out there, and Alexei was taking it seriously. It was probably someone they knew, but then again, Holly’d had a close call earlier. Adrenaline started to pump through his system, giving him an edgy energy and making everything seem sharper, more visceral. Alexei thought someone had cut the brake line. What if the same person had decided to try again?

Who could be after Holly? He was suddenly damn glad that Alexei had the gun. Maybe it was a necessary accessory in Bliss. His heart began to palpitate as he followed Alexei. He wasn’t sure what he would do, but he meant to be there. It seemed wrong to let him go alone.

The night was oddly silent around him, the only sound the gentle rush of the Rio Grande. The moon illuminated the yard. Holly’s back door led to a small porch and a single set of steps. Somehow Alexei managed to make it to the grass without a sound, but Caleb’s every step squeaked and groaned, the wood shifting under his feet.

Alexei turned and sent him an intimidating look. All Caleb could do was shrug. He’d never gone to “sneak up on someone” school. He crossed the porch as fast as he could.

Alexei held out a hand, stopping him from moving further. They both pressed against the side of the cabin. Alexei poked his head around and quickly came back. He held up a single finger.

One.

He quickly cupped his junk. Caleb nearly rolled his eyes but got the silent message.

One man.

There was a strange man walking around outside Holly’s cabin.

He didn’t like this feeling. His stomach spasmed, and for a moment, he could have sworn he heard the sounds of the jungle, felt the heat of that sun on his skin. His vision blurred, and in his mind he saw a canopy of green, and the antiseptic scent of his clinic washed over him. He kept it clean, so clean. He shivered. The jungle was always so hot, but this was Bliss and the night was cool.

And he wasn’t alone.

He forced himself to return to the present.

Alexei nodded and then he was off, a silent wraith taking down his prey.

Caleb followed, rounding the corner in time to see a slender male trying to open the guest bedroom window. He couldn’t see the man’s face but realized quickly that he and Alexei were far from alone.

Zane Hollister charged in from the side and Cameron Briggs from the front. Each moved the same way Alexei did—with silent, predatory grace. And each man held a gun in his hand. They seemed to have some silent language of nods and hand motions. Alexei took charge. He grabbed the man by the back of his neck.

“Hey!” the man yelled as he found himself jerked into the air and then tossed to his back. There was a resounding woof as he hit the ground and suddenly three guns were pointed straight at his face. All three men stared down at the intruder.

Caleb caught a glance of his face. Not a man at all. Despite his height, it was easy to see this was a teen. His wide eyes had a youthful roundness. And the teen was utterly terrified.

“You will to tell what you are doing here attempting to break into house.” Alexei’s voice was a low growl.

Caleb moved in, trying to get a better look.

“Rafe is already looking up his plate number.” Cam gestured back toward his cabin across the way from Holly’s. “We caught sight of him driving up.”

“Nate’s running his plate, too. Get his wallet. We need an ID,” Zane said. “Once we figure out who he is, Nate can take him into town.”

The kid was completely still, holding his hands up in an obvious plea to not get shot. “Uhm, am I going to die? Has anyone ever mentioned that you guys are hot? Wow. Seriously. Hot. I think I already died and went to heaven. Please don’t shoot me.”

“Guys, I think you can back off,” Caleb said. The young man on the grass didn’t sound anything like a dangerous stalker. His voice shook as he spoke.

“Or at least get rid of the guns and then we can talk,” the kid continued. “I always knew I would love this place, but I never expected to be greeted by a cadre of hot guys who don’t like to wear shirts. I really hate to say this because I’m going to completely shut out my chances of making out with any of you, but maybe we should wake up my mom, and she can convince you to spare me.”

Fuck. He’d known the kid looked familiar. He pushed Zane aside and got a really good look at him. He’d seen the face before in various stages of growth. Holly kept pictures of her son all over the house. “Micky?”

His head turned slightly. “I prefer Mick, but seriously, we’ll go with whatever keeps this gorgeous head on my shoulders. I’m too young and hot to die.”

“That’s Holly’s kid. Holly’s son.” Caleb pushed at Alexei, who immediately backed off. Zane and Cam stood down. Caleb reached out a hand to the kid on the ground. He was a lanky teen with dark hair and Holly’s eyes.

“God, you’re hot, too. Is there something in the water here?” Mick asked as he reached out and took Caleb’s hand, allowing himself to be hauled up.

Nate Wright showed up, jogging over from his cabin. “Guys, that car is registered to Scott Lang. Isn’t that Holly’s ex?”

Rafe came around the corner. “Yes. Her ex. What the hell is he doing here?”

Mick put his hands together and looked up toward heaven. “Thank you, god, for sending me down this rabbit hole. I promise to be the best Alice ever.”

“You are Holly’s son?” Alexei stared at the kid.

Mick took a deep breath. “Yes. I know how late it is, and she wasn’t exactly expecting me. I didn’t want to wake her, but I couldn’t find my key. I’ve only been out here twice and that was years ago, but I remembered the window in the guest bedroom didn’t lock.”

It didn’t lock? And she’d left it like that for years?

Alexei looked at him as though he could hear his thoughts. “Yes, we will start a tally for punishment sake. I will fix this tomorrow.”

“How did everyone get here so fast?” Caleb asked. There was a good amount of space between the cabins. “Do you guys have a neighborhood watch?”

Cam shrugged. “I’m a paranoid weirdo. I hear a car, I check it out. We don’t get many sports cars up here.”

Zane flipped the safety on his gun, his big shoulders relaxing. “And after the whole serial killer thing, we can’t be too careful. Besides, Rafe and I had a bet as to the time when Doc there would slink away. I think I lose. I had him running before two, and it’s five ’til.”

Rafe laughed. “That’s fifty bucks, Hollister.”

Alexei shook his head. “No. Zane is winner. He was doing the bail. If son does not show up, he would have been gone.”

Nate and Zane exchanged a high-five. Caleb frowned at all of them.

“Hey, I gotta buy diapers. Do you know how much a small-town sheriff makes?” Nate asked.

Probably around what a small-town doctor made. He didn’t get paid to have everyone make bets on what time during the night he would fuck up, but that was small-town living. “You all suck.”

Now that he seemed fairly certain he wasn’t in danger, Mick relaxed. “So, I’m sensing that no one is going to horrifically murder me. Tell me something, are you all couples or is this a free-for-all swinging singles kind of thing?”

Caleb felt himself flush. Mick was under a serious misconception. “They’re not couples. Not the way you think.”

Alexei turned to the boy. A huge grin came over his face. “No, no. No couples. Only trios and only about the women. Beloved women.”

Mick frowned, his whole face turning down in an exaggerated pout. “That is typical.”

“Micky? Oh my god!” Holly ran out of the cabin, Laura following hard behind. “What are you doing here, baby?”

She had thrown on a robe and it was obvious that while Cam and Rafe had been taking care of the intruder, Laura had been checking on Holly. Holly put her hands on her son’s face and looked him up and down as though checking for injuries. Holly was a good foot shorter than her baby boy.

Nate and Zane stepped away.

“I can see you three have this under control,” Nate said, nodding at Caleb. “Good night. And Rafe, we’ll expect that in cash tomorrow.”

Rafe grumbled, but they too left, Laura promising to talk to Holly in the morning.

And he was alone with Alexei, Holly, and Holly’s son. Holly’s son. It had been an easy thing to forget that she had a kid. Holly had responsibilities that he didn’t begin to understand.

Holly fretted over the teen, her hands fluttering. “What’s going on, baby? Why are you here? Did you drive all the way from Denver? Is something wrong?”

Mick smiled down at his mom. “Slow down, Mom. I’m here because I wanted to see you. I needed to see you. Yes, I drove from Denver. And everything is fine. It’s great. But I might have told Dad I’m gay, and he might have kicked me out of my palatial homeland. So, yeah, it looks like I live with you now. Surprise.”

Mick Lang stood in the yard, his sarcasm belying the vulnerable set of his shoulders. He might be seventeen, but he wasn’t close to being a man yet. He needed his mother.

Holly hugged him fiercely. “Yes, you do, baby. Of course you can live with me. You might not have been here, but this was always your home. Oh, sweetheart, come inside. So do you have luggage, or did your father kick you out with nothing?”

Caleb saw the way her fists clenched. He understood. It was a good thing Scott Lang wasn’t anywhere close. What kind of man tossed out his child?

“Oh, no, I managed to get a couple of things.” He gestured toward his car. The red sports car gleamed in the moonlight. And it was stuffed with suitcases.

Holly smiled. “Good. The boys can get them. You don’t mind, boys, do you?”

“Not at all, dushka,” Alexei said with a gracious bow. “I hope that son will forgive me for tackling him.”

He didn’t mention the gun, and it had conveniently disappeared. In fact all of them had disappeared. The men had quickly hidden the weapons the minute they’d heard Holly coming. Alexei’s gun had gone in the pocket of his slacks. Caleb kept his mouth shut.

And so did the kid. He merely nodded Alexei’s way. “No problem. It was a dumb idea to try to sneak in. I haven’t been smart lately. I appreciate the fact that you were looking out for my mom. And I was joking about the whole gay thing. Not the me part. That’s real. But I knew you weren’t of my persuasion. My gaydar is nearly perfect, and it doesn’t go off around you. It’s a loss to my kind. Are you my mom’s boyfriend?”

“Micky.” Holly sounded horrified.

Alexei merely put an arm around the kid. If he was embarrassed to get caught sleeping with the boy’s mom, it didn’t show. “I am, indeed. I care very much for her. I am so glad to meet you. Your mother is proud. She tell me all about you in her letters. You are good boy.”

“That whole accent thing is so hot. And what about Red over there?” Mick asked, his eyes narrowing on Caleb.

Caleb felt pinned by those eyes. “I, uhm, care about your mom, too.”

Mick grinned. “Everything I heard about this place is true, isn’t it? I think my grandma calls it a ‘den of iniquity.’ I always thought it sounded like fun. I can’t wait.”

Mick walked into the cabin with his mom, chattering away about all the things he wanted to do now that he was in Bliss. Caleb stood in the yard feeling like his whole world had changed.

Alexei slapped him on the back. “Come. Let’s to help out the kid. You cannot leave now. You have to see this. Holly needs us.”

It would probably look pretty bad to run out. And after everything the kid had heard, he wouldn’t think much of a man who used his mother and walked away. Fuck. He had to stay. It was going to be a really long night.

Alexei hefted a trunk and passed it to him. Caleb groaned under the weight. It felt like the kid had managed to sneak the kitchen sink out of his dad’s house. There was a ton of stuff.

Alexei’s wide grin mocked him. “It is good to have family, no?”

Family. He’d run from his, and somehow, someway he’d found another one.